Malware Attacks in Africa Reach 85 Million in Only 6 Months

Malware attacks in Africa are increasing at an alarming rate with the first half of 2021 registering a 5 percent increase, says Kaspersky report.

According to the report, four countries accounted for 85 million compared to a similar period the previous year.

In general, African countries are exhibiting strong growth in all types of malware as cybercriminals and hackers continue to prey on their vulnerability.

The case has been worsened by the rapid digital transformation and the increase in remote working resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Africa was the most targeted with 32 million attacks, followed by Kenya with 28.3 million attacks. Nigeria registered 16.7 million attacks whereas Ethiopia came in fourth with 8 million attacks.

All countries but Kenya saw the relative growth of all malware attacks. Ethiopia and Nigeria have seen an increase of 20 percent and 23 percent, respectively, and South Africa an increase of 14 percent. Kenya’s number of attacks decreased by 13 percent.

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“Even though the scourge of malware has always been of concern, the past 12-months have highlighted how hackers are refocusing their efforts to compromise consumer and corporate systems and gain access to critical data and information,” said Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager at Kaspersky in Africa.

He added that given the growth of digital transformation across Africa since last year, the continent has become an attractive target for those looking to exploit a lack of user education and cybersecurity understanding. This, he noted, has contributed to a large number of personal devices still not having any form of cybersecurity software installed.

“Malware can get onto a device in several ways. For example, clicking on an infected link or advert, opening an attachment in a spam email, or downloading a compromised app. This means proactive malware protection is essential to safeguard individual users and corporates against these threats,” added Opil.

According to the antivirus provider, there are several best practices to consider when it comes to malware protection. The recommendations include:

• Install anti-virus software on every device that connects to the Internet.
• Only download applications from trusted sites. Even then, always check the app permissions and, if certain things do not make sense, do not install the program.
• Never click on unverified links especially when coming from suspected spam emails, messages, or suspicious-looking Websites.
• Keeping operation systems and applications always updated with the latest patches.

Also, be wary of using free Wi-Fi at coffee shops, restaurants, and other places as hackers can snoop for unprotected devices.